Inside Kostiantynivka’s Drone Kill Zone on Ukraine’s Donbas Front

After years of slow advances, Russian forces reached Kostiantynivka,

the southern tip of Ukraine's famous Donbass fortress belt.

Moscow's forces may be struggling elsewhere on the front line,

but here the battle for the heart of Ukraine's industrial east could be reaching its climax.

This road, well-travelled on many a reporting trip over the years, used to feel deep in the rear.

Now, here is where the kill zone truly begins.

Kostiantynivka, Donbass

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With us today are soldiers of Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade,

which has held the neighbouring city of Chasiv Yar for two years.

We are moving, and at any moment a drone can fly by.

What are you carrying?

A bag.

Why a bag?

Because it's hard on the legs.

Are you delivering something now?

Yes, we were delivering there, and we are taking another load back.

That's why.

Because the cars are already full.

You'll see later why the cars are already full.

Is this your machine gun?

Yes.

Does it work well?

Well, it's called the last chance, so that's why we're carrying it.

Has it ever been like this before?

Thank God, no.

It was shot with machine guns.

How long have you been moving like this?

Well, probably since winter.

We started in winter.

The guys were still driving.

A few days ago there was a raid.

And then the guys were shot down.

After that, the cars were completely banned.

So only on foot.

It's safer.

Plus, you can hear and see everything.

Now we're just getting a little bit closer to Konstantinovka,

and you can see immediately what that means

in terms of the density of the kill zone.

You see more and more of these burnt-out cars

with the remains of the FPV drones that destroyed them.

You can see more and more of this optical fiber all along the roads.

For a while, the only option for logistics in a place like this

were the unmanned ground vehicles,

the little robots that we've seen a few of passing.

But now the Russian drones are so numerous

that they're all being hit as well.

And we're entering this kind of strange Mad Max world

where on one hand we have killer drones,

we have robots on the ground.

But on the other hand,

people are still now just forced to do all the work themselves

with their hands and their feet and their human strength.

Nothing resembling civilization is left here.

But detached from reality and accustomed to chaos,

some civilians continue to cling on.

They're flying. They were burning today.

Yes, yes, yes.

But it's not scary.

Well, what can you do? What can you do?

I've already left three times and returned.

Why?

Because the money is running out and I don't need anyone.

To put so many people for a piece of land...

Well, human life is more valuable than a piece of land.

What should we do?

Stop this mess.

Stop it as soon as possible.

Because I feel sorry for the people,

I feel sorry for what's happening around.

I feel very sorry.

You can hear an FPV in the area.

So now you can hear a few different drones in the air.

I'm just going to stay tight here and not move.

What you see behind me is an American-made Max Pro,

basically protected mobility armored vehicle.

It's heavily modified to protect from drone attacks.

First you saw kind of rudimentary cages and nets

being put on armored vehicles on both sides.

They made fun of it at first,

but now this kind of custom-made protection

is really important.

It's really effective at just making the drone explode

before the armor itself, as far away as possible.

But of course, even with all the protection in the world,

there is always some way of hitting the vehicle.

And when you have a lot of drones in the sky

targeting one vehicle at once,

it's usually just a matter of time

before even something like this

or Russia's famous turtle tanks are eventually immobilized.

And once the people get out,

the vehicle stays there and it's eventually burned.

It's hard to say exactly immediately

where the first drones hit,

but just like with the old threat

of small arms fire and landmines,

I think it's pretty safe to say

that this vehicle almost certainly

protected the people inside

and allowed them to evacuate

before it was finally destroyed.

And that's exactly what these armored vehicles

are still super important in the Battlefield 4.

Over here you see the effect

of what happens when you try and modify

just a rudimentary pickup truck.

You know, huge, once again,

completely out of Mad Max,

these kind of rusty cages

attached with basic nets or grills.

But again, when there are enough drones in the air

or when the pilot is good enough,

there's just no stopping it.

And that's why vehicles like this

are almost not coming in and out

of Konstantinovka at all anymore.

On this highway of war,

the face of the real Ukrainian army is laid bare.

Ordinary men of all ages and backgrounds,

mostly mobilized,

living and fighting in conditions

that will leave their mark for good.